Can you tell us more about that very first experience with 3D Printing?

When I made a fully functional bio 3Dprinter, getting it to print something using DLP was a fascinating process. Watching the 3D printer solidify the resin one layer at a time was mind-blowing as it was making a completely new layer with microscopic precision. That drew me into 3D printing & still fascinates me to date.

Could you explain furthermore what 3Ducators is and the services that you are providing?

3Ducators is an educational platform for empowering communities with the knowledge & hands-on application of Design thinking with 3D printing technologies. We conduct workshops, training & professional development on 3D printing with different community organizations, also help them with their hardware & software needs.

How did you come to build the company?

Once I graduated from school, I realized that the power of 3D printing could make a difference in the everyday lives of people from giving them assisted living to usher their dreams in healthcare or fashion. The same year in November 2017, I met a Rutgers’ Marketing Professional by the name of Rahul Anand, really passionate about 3D printing as well. We were already discussing making, making as a community, making chocolate 3D printers, prosthetics, a huge open source DLP 3D printer that would help makers to 3D print high-quality designs in the most affordable ways. Then, we approached our professors in school for counsel & they gave us an incubation space in Rutgers to start working on our projects & involve more students with this amazing idea. November 2017 we officially formed the company, and the very next month received the regional NSF I Corp grant for building the open source DLP printer.

What are some of the challenges of the industry you are trying to resolve with 3Ducators?

The 3D printing industry has given us innumerable options for getting different machines, materials, etc. but it doesn’t tell you which machine is best suited for your application or how to use a simple 3D printer or how you could use open-source software to design a simple object & 3D print anything. We are the bridge that educates individuals to be able to 3D design or print anything, anytime, anywhere.

How has the company been perceived so far?

The company is doing great in spreading awareness about 3D printing & involving communities in 3D printing activities for social good. A fairly decent job in surprising people with our 3D imaging platform for scanning kids heads 😉

To date, what would you say is your greatest achievement in Additive Manufacturing?

I am being able to build a switchable resolution DLP resin 3D printer for making biomedical polymers/jewelry/any resin.

Do you have any (fun or not) story about the company or your career to share with us?
Making of 3ducators, especially the name, initially it was perceived as edutainment, people would approach us for having our service in parties for making something magically. We never thought of that previously, but that led us into developing our 3D imaging platform to scan individuals & make their little bobbleheads.

Have you run into any challenges from being a woman in 3D Printing?

3D Printing or rapid prototyping is a male-dominated field, so every day is a hustle among “know it all’s,” no doubt, as a woman, however, I feel more valued to be in the field because this is a niche field, quality oriented & needing a lot of patience. You have independent machines to play with, no challenges as such when you know you are “breaking the stereotype.”

The ability to figure out new developments to existing 3D printers, smarter materials, making intelligent designs.

As a woman?

The ability to make printing a beautiful & thoughtful experience, making a difference to the world with meaningful solutions in healthcare, foresee a better future with this technology in fashion, jewelry & artistic designs.

What do you think of the 3D printing industry today? And how would you like to see it evolve?

It’s new, raw powerful & addictive for rapid prototyping & instant gratification needs. It’s a time-consuming process when you want to manufacture a big part but slowly & steadily we will come with more intelligent & faster machines capable of delivering high-quality 3D prints. Also, they will become more user-friendly & not have as many problems.

In your opinion, how could we encourage more women to become involved with 3D Printing?

If girls are given more hands-on learning opportunities while in school, exposed to 3D printing with an application-oriented approach, they will enjoy & embrace technology at an early age. For women, an entrepreneurship approach with 3D printing, they could be future jewelry makers, educators, artists, designers if they learn to use 3Dprinting & a printer as an everyday go-to tool.

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Nora is a 3D Printing expert since 2010, particularly skilled at building strategic alliances and strong business relationships.
Named among the 20 most influential women in Additive Manufacturing every year since 2015, Nora also received the Certificate of Honor in Manufacturing by the City of San Francisco in 2017 for her work with Women in 3D Printing, and was awarded Community Advocate of the year 2018 by her peers.

She started her career in Additive Manufacturing in 2010 by joining 3D Printing service leader, Sculpteo.

Nora joined Ivaldi Group in 2018. Ivaldi Group leverages cutting-edge additive manufacturing solutions to provide on-site parts on demand services for various industries. Drawing on a breadth of additive manufacturing industry experience, Ivaldi Group works across a range of stakeholders to digitize product portfolios and improve cost, risk and delivery for all parties, providing a Part Replacement as a Service solution.
As the VP of Strategy, Nora works closely with the CEO to build and implement the company's strategies in various segments: from core business value to customer relationship and parts production and delivery.

Nora founded Women in 3D Printing in 2014 to promote women leaders in the Additive Manufacturing industry. She also co-initiated and co-organizes #3DTalk, an industry-specific and educational event series featuring women in the 3D Printing and related industries. #3DTalks are global events hosted in various cities across the USA and Europe.

Pursuing her vision for more social inclusion, she joined 3D Africa as Board Advisor. 3D Africa is a youth and women economic empowerment program developed by the Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), a nonprofit organization with years of experience combining education, technology, and economic development to transform economically challenged populations into self-sustainable communities. 3D Africa is part of the YTF’s Clinton Global Initiative 2016 Commitment to Action.